Boosting UK-Asian cultural ties
HOW ARTISTS AND FESTIVALS CAN SHOWCASE A COUNTRY’S SOFT POWER
I HAVE been “Indianising” the West for the past 40 years by nurturing excellence in Indian arts and taking it to unexpected and unconventional spaces, from underground vaults and Buckingham Palace to a deprived area opposite a fish market.
I have worked to redefine the parameters of the art form by igniting foreign lands with south Asian creativity, inspiring audiences and impacting lives.
My work has always been an intrinsic part of the British cultural DNA, woven into the tapestry of the creative industry of this country rather than being an isolated Indian patch.
I attempt to win the hearts and minds of people through innovative ways to tell our stories, all on my creative terms.
This empowered position gives me a greater degree of confidence and puts my culture on equal footing in the international arena. This is where Indian soft power and I start to work for each other.
London is almost an extension of any of the metros of India – the city has been “Indianised” far more because of the recent immigration policies of the Labour government. Plenty of first-generation young Indians work in the capital’s IT industry and that has enhanced the speed of the “Indianisation of London”.
Many social and religious events are celebrated by the Indian community. Indian Independence
Day celebrations are also a part of these occasions – with marginal participation from the British community.
Other than the celebration of Indian Independence Day and the commemoration of the partition of India on the BBC and Channel 4, a South Asia Heritage Month was also marked in July-August.
I set up Anhad, a one-day festival showcasing the best of south Asian outdoor arts. This festival was a colourful and visual celebration of south Asian arts and culture, as part of South Asian Heritage Month, featuring the best local and national artists – a total of 75.
The date of the festival coincided with India’s Independence Day, offering us visibility and giving an opportunity to some of the best artists in the UK to perform. My highlight of the event was the Odissi dance choreographed by Elena Catalano, an Italian girl, and the Italian opera performed by an amazing Indian tenor, Anando Mukherjee.
The Indian government has also been sponsoring many events. This year, London has seen several festivals and there will be more towards the end of the year.
The government of India, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, has sponsored many year-long festivals and events. This year, London has seen several festivals and there will be more towards the end of the year.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, many events planned by British institutions were impacted, due to the lack of time for meticulous planning and fundraising.
My top 15 events that highlight the strong cultural ties between south Asia and the UK are as follows:
The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre and Lotus Beauty by the Tamasha Theatre Company
The UK Asian Film Festival, directed by Dr Pushpinder Chowdhury MBE
The London Indian Film Festival, directed by Cary Sawhney
Celebrations to mark the South Asian Heritage Month
Celebrations at the Victoria and Albert museum, the British Museum, the Science museum and other museums around the country
The Tate’s exhibition of Chila Burman and several forthcoming exhibitions of Indian visual artists Akram Khan’s Jungle Book reimagined Nitin Sawhney’s Ghosts in the Ruins for Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations
The Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library and an International Booker prize for Geetanjali Shree for her work in Hindi
Anoushka Shankar’s tribute to Pandit Ravi Shankar at the Royal Festival Hall
The Commonwealth Games 2022 held in Birmingham
The music festivals organised by Sama Arts and Darbar
Large concerts of popular Indian singers during summer after the lockdowns
The Anhad festival held at Bell Square in Hounslow
The Pallavi Anand recital choreographed by Mavin Khoo
Lastly, I think it’s high time for us to evaluate the impact of our current global soft power strategies to promote India.
I feel India’s inwardly obsessive media fascination and merging of regional vote bank political slogans with global messages have created a blinkered mash-up of patriotism and nationalism.
It is not influencing positive perceptions of India – we have enough experience in spreading adversity. Global messengers should look at positive stories and we need to set up a think-tank or a special communication cell to foster imaginative ways to tell India’s story. Those media can work to create positivity.
I also suggest creating a new Indian Cultural Services (ICS) – a cultural cadre with high-profile career strategists recruited, trained and developed to nurture soft power stories with a global perspective.
Mira Kaushik is an independent consultant, programmer, director, and arts activist